


Fantastic Beasts and How to Charm Them

by madnessiseverything, RosyPages



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bonding, Cryptozoology, Dyslexic!Ezekiel, Ezekiel-centric, Fluff, Monsters, Multi, OT3, but cute ones, cuteness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-12-27 19:31:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12087846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnessiseverything/pseuds/madnessiseverything, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosyPages/pseuds/RosyPages
Summary: Ezekiel knew the Library had rooms where the contents were far beyond what he could imagine. He just never thought the contents would be so adorable.





	1. The White Stag

“Hey Jenkins!” Ezekiel heaved open the door he hoped to finally find Jenkins behind. He’d been searching for the caretaker for a solid ten minutes by now. 

“Close the door!” Ezekiel flinched and slammed the door shut behind himself. 

“What the-”

“And will you please keep your voice down?”

Jenkins stood in the middle of what appeared to be a giant forest. Vines twisted up the walls, giant oaks swayed in a gentle breeze, and underneath his feet wasn’t polished, wooden floors, but a soft carpet of grass and weeds.

“What’re you doing in here?” Ezekiel asked, walking forward as he tried to get his head around the idea that there’s a forest in the middle of the Library.

“I’m trying to feed the White Stag, but he seems to be in an argumentative mood this morning.”

“The what?”

Jenkins huffed, a sound that generally meant ‘the-LiT’s- are- being- stupid- again’. 

Ezekiel beamed at him.

Jenkins opened his mouth, maybe to explain what the White Stag was, maybe to tell him exactly how stupid millenias were, but a flicker of white stole Ezekiel’s attention.

Approaching him from behind a cluster of trees, stood the most beautiful creature Ezekiel had ever seen. He was double the size of any stag he’d seen before. His antlers were a formidable tangle of glistening bone, as tall and thick as the oaks around him. The fur shone like silver and the eyes were as cold as ice.

The White Stag walked forward, his gait was that of a king’s.

It was Ezekiel he approached, nose brushing gently against the boy’s forehead. Ezekiel was breathless as the powerful animal nuzzled him. The nose was as soft as a warm blanket, and the breath that ghosted against his skin felt like a warm summer breeze.

“He doesn’t like being touch-” Jenkins began, but Ezekiel’s hand was already against the stag’s shoulder. The muscles twitched beneath his palm, the the creature didn’t pull away.

“Huh.”

“What?” Ezekiel asked, eyes still glued to the White Stag.

“I think he likes you… He’s never let me touch him before.” Jenkins sounded vaguely put out by this.

“I don’t understand, “Ezekiel began, “Aren’t all white stags just albino? It’s a genetic trait. Not magical.”

“For all except this one.” To Ezekiel’s surprise, Jenkins voice didn’t carry any of the annoyance it usually did when he had to explain something to him. Instead the tone was soft and it was enough to pull the librarian’s focus away from the stag and back to the caretaker. “This one has been alive for a long, long time. Longer than I have. He was a god once… a messenger between worlds. We met while I was still a knight. The best hunters in all the land, and we could never once even come close to capturing him… But he did like the chase though, didn’t you?”

The stag looked up at Jenkins with what seemed to almost be humor in his eyes.

“So… how many animals are in the Library anyway?”

“A number…”

“Really?” Ezekiel asked, his eyes brightening.

“Mr. Jones, I’ve never seen you this excited about anything except UFOs before…” Jenkins said, casting a wary glance over him, as if he expected to see a few pixies smuggled under his coat. But Ezekiel only beamed at him like a child in a candy shop.

“Can you show me?”


	2. Gunni

“Okay… that’s adorable,” Ezekiel decided as soon as the door slipped shut. Nestled underneath a pile of twigs was what Jenkins called a “gunni”.

Who knew a wombat with antlers could look so cute?

“You two have something in common,” Jenkins said, heaving a bucket of what looked like a mess of brown gunk with green leaves in it, into Ezekiel’s arms. 

 

“We’re both extraordinarily adorable and you’re lucky to know us?”

“Actually you’re both Australians. And you’re both a pain in my-”

Before Jenkins could finish, the gunni sprang up, sending twigs and dirt everywhere.   
Jenkins smiled at it and leant down, clearly expecting the animal to greet him. Instead the gunni charged forward, passing the caretaker and slamming straight into Ezekiel. The thief was sent flying to the floor and the animal wasted no time before he was leaping on top of his chest.

Jenkins seemed baffled as Ezekiel earned a face full of fur.

“You must attract trouble,” he decided, offering no help. 

“I always have,” was the muffled response.

“Well if you two are such good friends,” Jenkins muttered, leaning down to pick up the bucket that had been abandoned on the floor, “then you can do the chores.”

As Ezekiel picked himself up, pushing away the gunni with a grin, the bucket was thrust towards him. Without hesitation he snatched it away, as if winning himself a prized diamond from the secure cases of a museum.

Jenkins watched as the young librarian went to work, only calling out instructions here and there.

“Drop the food right in that bowl- no, to your left. There you go.”

“You’ll need to empty out the water bowl as well. The water is- yep, right there.”

“No, I don’t think he’ll let you clean his bedding- oh. Nevermind. Yes if the gunni doesn’t mind, please go ahead. You’ll save me the effort later.”

While Ezekiel worked, the gunni was never far behind. At first, Jenkins thought it was just the excitement of someone new and that soon enough the animal would return to greet him. But every time Ezekiel would move to another part of the enclosure, the gunni would move too, close behind him.

Jenkins had never seen their thief work so hard at something. He would always be the first to call for a break during their time researching for a case, he would always be the one to disappear for a snack run, and as soon as there was any physical labor to be done the australian would vanish.

But now, Jenkins couldn’t stop him. Ezekiel dove into the tasks, almost begging for the work. Jenkins didn’t move an inch, too curious to see how far this would go. Not once did Ezekiel complain or even ask for help.

In fact, the more work he was asked to do, the bigger his smile got.

Finally, when the gunni was lapping at his newly cleaned water bowl and snuggling into his fresh bedding, Ezekiel seemed to notice that Jenkins was still there.

“Got any more?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter is up! Thank you everyone for your comments, we really love them. Please, let us know what you think about this next scene!


	3. Wolpertingers

“This is the next one,” Jenkins said. The two of them were standing in front of a simple wooden door. Ezekiel was sure he could hear the flapping of wings.    
  
“What’s in here? Magic birds?”    
  
Jenkins gave a secretive smile and shrugged. “Find out for yourself, Librarian.”    
  
Ezekiel grinned at the caretaker and twisted the doorknob. The door swung open, and he walked into the room, eyes sweeping around the place to catch whatever creature was residing here.    
  
Something flapped right next to his head and he turned around, barely catching what looked like a bunny with… wings? It seemed to be making its way to the still wide open door. Ezekiel, remembering the scornful look Jenkins had given him in the stag room, reacted quickly. He reached up and gently grabbed the bunny around the middle, plucking it out of the air. Jenkins moved past him and the door shut with a click.    
  
“What on earth,” Ezekiel muttered, looking down at the creature wiggling in his grip. It was flapping dark wings, similar to those of an owl, with stubby horns on top of its head.    
  
“That, Mr. Jones, is a Wolpertinger.”    
  
“Wolper-what?”    
  
Jenkins huffed. “A Wolpertinger. They’re creatures from the forests in Bavaria, Germany. Interesting little creatures, cheeky beyond belief too.”    
  
“So it’s… a bunny with wings and tiny antlers?”    
  
“If you wish to simplify it like that, yes.”    
  
Ezekiel looked at the bunny in his grip. The creature had apparently calmed down some, and it looked back up at him with wide, curious eyes. Its wings were folded flat against its back. Ezekiel grinned.    
  
“Do I even want to know how this mix came about?”    
  
Jenkins shook his head and shuddered dramatically, a smile on his face as he followed one of the other wolpertingers that was hopping through the soft grass. “Quitevan unpleasant image. Although,” he leaned down to pick up the hopping one, Ezekiel immediately noticing the crooked wings, “I once read a book where wolpertingers were dog-like creatures.” Jenkins gently placed the wolpertinger on the table against the room wall.    
  
“Dog-like?” Ezekiel asked as the wolpertinger in his grip wiggled again and moved closer to his chest. “That’s pretty far off of a bunny.”    
  
Jenkins shrugged. “In this book, quite an interesting read I might add, the wolpertingers came to be from a slightly messy story with a deer and wolf.”    
  
Ezekiel pulled a face. “A deer and a wolf?”    
  
“I should add this book is pure fantasy, sprouted from the mind of a quite creative German author. Nevertheless, I would love to one day meet him and talk about the creatures he writes about. Always a grain of truth in these descriptions.”    
  
“Books aren’t my thing,” Ezekiel muttered, letting the wolpertinger climb onto his right shoulder.    
  
“So I have noticed,” Jenkins replied, now carefully inspecting the wings of the tiny creature in front of him.    
  
Ezekiel furrowed his brows at the statement. The small creature on his shoulder snuggled closer to him. He opened his mouth to say something, anything to explain away his lack of book reading, but thought better of it.    
  
Jenkins looked up and turned his head, looking back at Ezekiel. He paused momentarily to eye the wolpertinger making itself comfortable in the junction of Ezekiel’s shoulder and neck. “Come here, then,” he said, “help me look at this poor fellow, your presence seems to be much appreciated.”    
  
Ezekiel moved over, careful not to jostle the small creature on his shoulder. He stepped next to Jenkins and frowned at the obviously hurt animal. “What happened?”    
  
Jenkins sighed and slowly lifted the left wing. “I presume this little bugger crashed into a wall during a race.”    
  
“A race?” Ezekiel’s eyes lit up. Jenkins shook his head in disapproval.    
  
“Yes, a race. They enjoy the thrill of zooming around both on the ground and mid-air. Sadly they are a bit too eager.”    
  
“That must have hurt,” Ezekiel winced in sympathy and stretched out his hand towards the hurt wolpertinger. Instantly a soft nose pushed back against his palm and he smiled, still quite overwhelmed at the trust all these creatures seemed to put in him instantly. Of course he made an effort to keep his surprise and glee hidden from Jenkins.    
  
But with a quick glance to the caretaker Ezekiel wasn’t so sure he was succeeding, Jenkins watching him with a calculating look. “What?”    
  
“And you’re sure you have no history with the magical fauna?”    
  
Ezekiel shrugged. “Not that I know of. I had a dog for a while, though,” he said and gently pet the wolpertinger still nuzzling his palm.    
  
“A dog,” Jenkins repeated and raised his eyebrows. “Well, either way, you have quite the hand with these rascals.” Jenkins raised a finger and booped the wolpertinger on Ezekiel’s shoulder on the nose. Ezekiel watched the action with a grin.    
  
“Do they cause a lot of trouble?”    
  
“You have no idea, Mr. Jones. There have been many chases through these corridors.”    
  
“Gotta get that cardio in somehow, ay?”    
  
Jenkins rolled his eyes and focused back on his patient. “Thankfully nothing seems irreparable.”   
  
“That’s good. So how do you fix a wolpertinger’s wing then?” The small animal on the table continued to nose at Ezekiel’s finger, the soft nibbling making a soft laugh bubble from his mouth.    
  
Jenkins regarded the wing once more. He leaned back a bit and gestured Ezekiel to watch closer. “Take a look. What do you see?”    
  
Ezekiel leaned in and inspected the extended wing. He didn’t notice anything new, the wing’s slightly crooked state obvious to him. He looked at Jenkins, eyebrows furrowed. “Well, it’s crooked.”   
  
Jenkins nodded. “But as you see, there is no bandage or cast.”    
  
“So it’s not broken?”    
  
“To the luck of this one, no. It got dislocated and it took me some time to right it.”    
  
Ezekiel winced. “Ouch.”    
  
“Indeed. So now I check regularly to ensure it doesn’t heal the wrong way.”    
  
“Why is the wing still wonky then?” Ezekiel asked curiously, the wolpertinger on the table moving to nestle better into his hand. Jenkins tutted, moving with the animal to avoid tugging at the wing.    
  
“It happened just the other day, so it hasn’t quite healed yet and this one seems to be quite careful in moving it from this position.” Jenkins slowly let go of the wing, the wolpertinger perking up and moving the wing on its own. It settled on its back, still held further out from the body than the other one.    
  
“It’s healing well,” Jenkins said with a smile. “They’re smart enough to know when not to fly, surprisingly.” Ezekiel watched as an affectionate smile broke out on Jenkins’ face, the caretaker gently petting his patient. Ezekiel felt a matching smile form and the wolpertinger on his shoulder bumped its antlers against Ezekiel’s jaw and he let out a surprised noise. Jenkins looked up and let out a chuckle. He carefully set the injured wolpertinger back onto the ground.    
  
“What was that for, buddy?” Ezekiel asked, the wolpertinger repeating the motion again instantly. “Hey!”    
  
“I would suggest you move your head away. They are known to be quite aggressive head butters.”    
  
“I can feel that,” Ezekiel muttered. The wolpertinger moved on his shoulder and he quickly leaned his head towards the left to avoid another attack. He felt feathers brush against his neck and then the pressure disappeared off of his shoulder.    
  
The wolpertinger flapped its wings and moved towards the back of the room. Jenkins let out a sigh. “Well, let’s take that as a sign to move on, Mr. Jones.”    
  
Ezekiel nodded, watching the small creatures fly and hop around with no abandon. He’d definitely return to here, he decided. He could imagine himself playing with these free-spirited -and incredibly adorable - creatures. “Okay, what’s next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here's the third chapter! i hope you guys enjoyed it, i sure had loads of fun writing this one. don't hesitate to tell us what you thought in the comments :D


	4. The Unicorn

“You’ve got to be very quiet and gentle with this one,” Jenkins whispered. They were standing before a tall door built in the style of a stable. The caretaker was crouched over a chest, rooting through bundles of what looked like sugar cubes and glitter.

Ezekiel peered at the door uneasily. “What’s in here?”

“Unicorn.”

“Wait… Unicorns are real? Actually real? You’re not having me on?”

“No I’m not, as you put it, “having you on”, why couldn’t Unicorns exist?”

“I-” Ezekiel found he could offer no explanation and simply took the large black bag he was offered along with a bucket filled with foul smelling oats.

Jenkins had to unlock both the upper part and lower part of the door, which was split into two parts. After that there was a wire mesh that had to be removed, and then another small fence that Ezekiel could barely step over.

“Why all the extra security?”

“Babyproofing.”

Babyproofing? Before Ezekiel could even realize what Jenkins meant, he caught sight of the unicorn.

Except it didn’t exactly look like a unicorn.

The animal was a goat, with knobbly knees and a long, withered face. A long curled beard sprouted from its whiskered chin and the tail was more like a donkey’s than a horses. It was covered in mottled gray fur and only stood up to Ezekiel’s knees. On it’s forehead however, was a knotted horn more than a foot tall with a dangerous looking speared point.

It’s belly was swollen and even Ezekiel could tell the Unicorn was very close to it’s due date.

“This is a unicorn?”

“What were you expecting?” Jenkins was already busy, leaning over the animal with a gentle smile Ezekiel had never seen directed at any of the Lits.

“I don’t know… a galloping stallion with fairy dust? Maybe a few rainbows… this thing looks like a goat.”

“Well if you’re going to be rude you can always leave-”

“No!” Ezekiel responded, shamefully quickly, “What do you need me to do?”

“Just keep her calm while I do the health check. She may seem settled now but she doesn’t like anyone touching her, especially her belly. She’s a real mother bear. There’s her breakfast right there if you want to try getting her to eat. She hasn’t had much of an appetite lately though. The only thing I can get her to eat is sugar.”

Ezekiel nodded, up to the challenge. With an easy smile he scooped the bucket and settled down beside the unicorn. She regarded him doubtfully.

“Hi,” he whispered. He knew he should feel foolish speaking to the animals like he did, but after a few weeks chatting to Nessie like she was his best friend, he’d kind of gotten over it. Besides, sometimes he swore that they could really understand him… 

The unicorn however did not seem interested in small talk and turned her head away to stare down Jenkins instead. He stopped almost immediately, freezing with a stethoscope in hand like a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar. 

Ezekiel snorted. “She really doesn’t like you, does she?”

“On the contrary, do you think she’d let anyone else take care of her like I do? I’m surprised she hasn’t bitten you yet, honestly. It’s taken about a century for us to get this close.”

Thanks for the warning, Ezekiel thought, a little bitterly. Still, she hadn’t tried to forcefully evict him yet so he decided to press his luck. He still had her breakfast and he offered it to her gently.

“You should really eat something, you know. That kids gonna need all the energy it can get.”

The unicorn turned to him looking completely unimpressed. For some reason, Ezekiel felt deflated and he frowned at her.

“I know you’re really uncomfortable but that’s no reason to get like this,” he told her, “You can manage one bite.”

Another blank look.

“I’ll tell you what,” he continued, “If you take at least a bite, then I won’t steal anything- not a thing- for a whole week.”

She blinked at him.

“....Fine. And I’ll come and bring you some sugar cubes everyday until you give birth.” He’d heard somewhere that horses liked sugar cubes, and he really hoped that in this case the same applied to unicorns.

At first she only glared at him, but then, slowly, she leaned down and took a small bite from the bucket. Then another. And another. Her bites became quicker and desperate, as if she’d only now just realized she was famished.

Ezekiel looked up, very pleased with himself. Jenkins was staring at him.

“What?”

“You got her to eat… I’ve been trying to reason with her for weeks...”

Usually Ezekiel would throw out a joke, but the way Jenkins was staring at him made him duck his head instead. “Yeah well… I guess now I’ve got to stock up on some sugar cubes.”

“You’re uncanny Mr. Jones,” was the answer, and for the first time since he’d met Jenkins, Ezekiel got the feeling that maybe he wasn’t being insulted. “If you’d like to learn more about cryptozoology, I’ve got a book you might like?”

Okay… maybe he was being insulted.

“I don’t really read,” Ezekiel muttered, his eyes flickering downward. “You know that.”

“I do know that. But you know, you can’t get all your information off of movies, no matter how much you try.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Ezekiel, please, just try the book.”

Ezekiel frowned, pushing the dirt with his shoe. “I’m not a… Me and reading don’t really…” He trailed off and huffed. “I’m dyslexic.”

“I know.”

Ezekiel blinked in surprise, staring at Jenkins in disbelief. “You know? What do you mean you know? Do- do the others know?”

“I don’t think so. Don’t worry, no one told me. I just guessed. When you’ve been alive for as long as I have, you tend to notice these things. You know, just because you might have a hard time reading, doesn’t mean you have to forgo it altogether.”

“But I can’t. I can’t read a dozen books a day like Jake or Cassie-”

“I’m not saying you have to,” Jenkins said calmly, placing a hand on Ezekiel’s shoulder. “Start with one book. A book you’ll enjoy. Then you can take it from there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost done. Thank you so much for reading and please let us know what you think in the comments. We love comments!


	5. Serenity and Nessie Jr.

Cassandra tapped her fingers on the edge of their table, stealing a look towards Jake. He’d been reading for the past two hours, stopping only to take notes and compare a sheet of runes to the ones in his book. Cassandra looked down at her own notes, smiling at the strings of numbers in front of her. She leaned back to watch the soft glow of her equations floating just above them. She’d gotten better at keeping her thoughts at bay, at sorting through her brain to keep her visions bound to what she needed them to be.    
  
But something was off. She swiped through the air to dismiss the pictures and looked around the Annex. Her eyes fell on the empty chair to her right, just between her and Jake. She frowned.   
  
“Jake?”    
  
“Hm?” The Historian didn’t look up from his book. Cassandra rolled her eyes and pushed her chair back.    
  
“When did Ezekiel leave?” she asked, closing her notebook and turning to face him fully. He finally looked at her and shrugged.    
  
“I don’t know? I mean he leaves all the time right?” Despite the off-hand statement, Jake’s eyes moved to Ezekiel’s chair and his brows furrowed. “Did he come in today?”    
  
Cassandra sighed. “Yes! He was in here just- I don’t know but I remember him sitting there!” She pointed to Ezekiel’s chair and then looked at the table, trying to find clues to Ezekiel’s whereabouts. The folder of magical crime sat in between Cassandra’s and Jake’s workspaces, just as untouched as usual. She shook her head and looked back at Jake, who slowly closed his book, of course not before carefully bookmarking his page. He leaned back and crossed his arms.    
  
“I don’t know, Cassie. Honestly. I mean, it’s not like Ezekiel hasn’t disappeared before.”    
  
“He doesn’t just up and leave during these sessions, Jake.”    
  
Jake raised his eyebrows. “Sessions?”    
  
Cassandra gave off an exasperated sound, motioning to the Annex with a wide-swept gesture. “We always do this- you know, sitting here and doing our thing- we always do that together, the three of us. It’s a thing!” She couldn’t believe Jake hadn’t noticed. Between missions this was always how they spent their time in the Library, studying and researching. All three of them. And while Ezekiel usually spent the time tipping his chair back and doing his own thing on his phone, Cassandra had grown to enjoy these joint sessions of muttering and new information. She liked spending her time around Ezekiel and Jake and even if they didn’t spend the hours talking she felt like they bonded more and more. Jake would hide his grins at Ezekiel’s jokes behind a book and Cassandra could bounce her ideas off of the smug Australian. Jake would exclaim new found history and Cassandra would exchange smiles with Ezekiel. It was their thing, these sessions. And Cassandra loved them.   
  
And now Ezekiel had bailed. Jake’s face now matched the frown on Cassandra’s own. “Yeah,” he mumbled, “I guess it’s a thing.”    
  
“See? Ezekiel!” The shout made Jake flinch, but maybe Ezekiel had hidden in one of the shelves around them. No response came.    
  
“Maybe he got lost in the Library?” Jake prompted, though the tone of his voice clearly suggested otherwise. Ezekiel wouldn’t just get  _ lost _ . They both knew he was too smart, unless the Library decided to play with him.    
  
“Let’s look for him.”    
  
Jake opened his mouth, clearly to protest, but Cassandra held up her hand. She caught his eyes. “What if something happened?”    
  
Jake countered her gaze with confusion. “What do you think would happen in here?” He stood up to move closer to her. “Cassie, we’re  _ in the Library _ .”    
  
“Not that that’s mattered in the past,” Cassandra replied curtly. “But that’s not what I mean, Jacob. What if  _ something _ happened?” Cassandra crossed her arms, waiting for the information to sink in. Jake’s eyes widened slightly and she nodded.    
  
They both knew Ezekiel remembered more than he ever let them know. And they had let him pretend for the past months, but they knew he must remember something. They had exchanged their worries for their fellow Librarian, but had agreed to simply watch Ezekiel and offer support should anything happen.    
  
“I don’t know, Cassie.” Jake looked just as worried as Cassandra felt now, but hesitation was still showing. “Maybe he really just got bored.”    
  
“Well, let’s look for him and find out. Please, Jake.” Cassandra stood up. Jake nodded.    
  
“Okay.”    
  
-   
  
It took them a while to agree on where to look for Ezekiel. And when the movie theater turned out to be empty, Cassandra started listing possible locations, rambling off rooms like the lab - “but Jenkins would never  let him in there” - and the archive - “but he could have simply used the card catalogue”- until Jake stopped her.    
  
“Cassie. What about NJ?” Jake asked, motioning down the hallway they were standing in. Cassandra’s eyes lit up.    
  
“Of course!” Ezekiel had refused to find a name for Nessie’s baby, scared he’d pick something Nessie would disagree with. So they’d taken to calling her Nessie Jr., NJ for short. Cassandra grabbed Jake by the wrist and started dragging him towards the room where NJ’s pool was located. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about Nessie’s adorable offspring. Ezekiel adored the small creature, it was logical to expect him there.    
  
“Slow, Cassie.” Cassandra stopped to look at Jake, who exhaled. “We can’t just barge in,” he explained. Cassandra looked down the corridor to where she knew the door was located, just around the bend.    
  
“Yeah,” she agreed and let go of Jake. They walked down around the corner and stopped in front of the door. Cassandra looked at Jake. “Should we knock? I mean I don’t want to just walk in but also what if he doesn’t reply and then we won’t know if he’s in there at all and-”    
  
Jake raised his fist and gave three short raps, cutting Cassandra off. She narrowed her eyes at him. He shrugged. No response came. Jake twisted the door handle and opened the door slowly, Cassandra making a move to peek around his shoulder to look into the room.    
  
The worry instantly lifted off of her chest. Ezekiel was sitting at the pool, his pants rolled up to his knees and his legs dangling into the water. NJ was draped around his legs, tail slowly moving in the water without a bother in the world.   
  
And Ezekiel was reading. He was holding a book just above his lap, out of reach of the young water creature, his right index finger moving across the page with stuttering movements.    
  
Cassandra felt a massive smile growing on her face and threw a side glance at Jake, who seemed to feel a similar bout of happiness judging by the way his eyes had softened. Cassandra hesitated on the threshold, not wanting to disturb Ezekiel while simultaneously wanting nothing more than to join him in that peaceful bubble of his.    
  
So she grabbed Jake by the crook of his elbow and walked towards the pool. Ezekiel’s head snapped up and Cassandra could feel an excuse building up in their colleague’s throat before Ezekiel even fully registered their presence.    
  
“Can we join?” She asked quickly, hoping to stop any doubts before they settled in Ezekiel’s head. “The Annex seems much more boring than here.”    
  
Ezekiel’s eyes moved between her and Jake, then fell to the book in his hands. “Uh.”    
  
“We promise to be quiet,” she added, failing to keep her hope out of her tone. Jake next to her nodded.    
  
“We just wanted to sit with you,” he said, his voice so incredibly soft that Cassandra couldn’t believe he didn’t want to look for Ezekiel at the start.    
  
“Sure,” Ezekiel said after a few seconds of tense silence, his guard still too far up for Cassandra’s liking. But it was progress, so she took a seat on his right and Jake sat down on his left. Cassandra peeked down at the creature to Ezekiel’s feet.    
  
“She’s growing so fast,” she exclaimed, looking at Ezekiel with glee. NJ looking up at them was at least double the size from when Cassandra had seen it last.   
  
Ezekiel gave off a small chuckle. “I know, right? Still thinks she can fit in my lap, though.”    
  
Jake laughed, undoubtedly imagining the sea creature attempting to slink onto Ezekiel’s legs like a small dog. Cassandra smiled down at the curious NJ, looking back at the humans with wide eyes, her tail still moving back and forth ever so slightly. No wonder Ezekiel liked to be here, Cassandra could feel the peace radiating off of the young animal.   
  
“So what are you reading?” Jake asked and Cassandra looked at Ezekiel, eager to hear his answer.   
  
-   
  
Jenkins did expect to find Ezekiel in young Nessie’s room, hopefully giving the cryptozoology book he had reluctantly accepted from Jenkins a try. What he didn’t expect to see when he quietly entered the room through the backdoor, was Jacob and Cassandra to have joined their teammate. He stopped in the doorway and silently observed the scene in front of him.    
  
Jacob was leaning over Ezekiel’s shoulder, looking at the open book in Ezekiel’s hands. Jenkins smiled to himself. He knew the curiosity would outweigh the young Librarian’s apprehension of reading. Cassandra was currently pulling her shoes and socks off, neatly placing them behind her. She let her legs drop into the water and Jenkins saw one of young Nessie’s - or NJ, as the young Librarians insisted on calling her- fins slap the water in front of the redhead.    
  
“Hey!” Ezekiel exclaimed, holding the book above his head. Cassandra giggled and Jake glared at NJ in mock offense. “Valuables, lass. We talked about this.” Ezekiel’s voice was full of a teasing affection that Jenkins had noticed always made Jake smile that soft smile and Cassandra blush.   
  
The creature gave off a gleeful ‘gluck’ and Jenkins couldn’t stop the fondness that spread in his chest. The three Librarians and the cheeky water creature filled something that Jenkins thought wouldn’t be filled ever again. Eve Baird had started it, but these three with their terrible, terrible antics and rambles and technology had grown on him in ways he never thought he’d get to experience.    
  
“So if we have established that you are the parent,” Cassandra said through a giggle, Jenkins raising his eyebrows at the statement. “What are we to her?”    
  
Ezekiel put the book down again, looking between Jake and Cassandra with contemplation. “Well, NJ, what do you think?” He asked, leaning down ever so slightly. NJ’s head appeared out of the water, planting itself on Ezekiel’s knee.    
  
One day Jenkins would get behind what drew these creatures to the Australian. One day. But now he was content in watching how the creature looked up at Ezekiel with adoration, flapping its fins to stay afloat.    
  
“Aunt Cassie?” Ezekiel laughed. “Cassie and the child of Nessie. Meant to be, I say!” He smiled at Cassandra, who grinned back and leaned her head on his shoulder, her arm hooking into Ezekiel’s.   
  
“Aunt?” She inquired and Jenkins squinted, waiting for Ezekiel’s reply. He felt as if something in the relationship between these three had shifted without his noticing.    
  
Ezekiel hummed, sharing a look with Jacob. “Or Mum Cassie, if you prefer.” He nudged Jacob with his elbow. “How about you? The Cowboy Dad?”    
  
Jacob rolled his eyes and reached out his hand to NJ, who bumped it with her head. “How about ‘Cool Dad’?”    
  
“Are you implying I am not the cool parent here?” Ezekiel asked with mock hurt, raising the book to hit Jacob’s arm with it. “I am offended.”    
  
Jenkins frowned, just as offended as Ezekiel pretended to be. Why did the book have to be turned into a weapon of flirtation?    
  
“Come on, we all know I’m the parent that comes and brings cool presents and lets the kid,” he patted NJ on the head for emphasis, “stay up late.”   
  
Cassandra reached over to poke Jacob’s hand on NJ’s head. “You’re both the cool parent, it’s not a competition.”    
  
“Oh Cassandra,” Ezekiel said dramatically, letting go of the book with one hand to drape his arm around her shoulder. “Everything in life is a competition.”    
  
“Reading isn’t,” Jacob interjected and Ezekiel huffed, looking down at the book.    
  
“Sure feels like it when you’re someone that can’t do it.” His voice dropped towards the end of the sentence and Jenkins shook his head ever so slightly. Of course it would be hard to convince Ezekiel it was okay to struggle, but the hurt in his voice still made Jenkins grit his teeth.    
  
“You were doing well,” Jacob said seriously, tapping the book. “Especially here.”    
  
“Yeah!” Cassandra joined in. “And you got what the last chapter was talking about right?”    
  
Ezekiel nodded slowly. “I guess.”    
  
Cassandra nodded excitedly, knocking her head against Ezekiel’s jaw. “Ow!” The three broke into laughter, Jacob scooting closer to Ezekiel as well.    
  
Jenkins felt a smile form. They were good for each other, he mused.    
  
“Come on,” Jacob said as they calmed down, “read the next page. We’ll keep the kid busy to avoid water splashing.”    
  
“You better. Jenkins would probably never give me another book if this rascal manages to destroy it.”    
  
Jenkins was tempted to agree, but refrained from making his presence known. Instead he silently stepped back outside the room, throwing a last look at the group. The serenity of the scene made his heart swell. Cassandra, still cuddled up to Ezekiel as she patted NJ on the head. Jacob with one hand on Ezekiel’s thigh and his other dangling into the water to stroke over NJ’s back. And Ezekiel in the middle, stumbling over words as he attempted to read the book in front of him to his partners and the relaxed sea creature.    
  
Jenkins closed the door softly and walked away, the warmth of what he had witnessed staying with him as he moved down the corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there we have it! the final chapter of this wonderful fic. don't worry, we couldn't let go of this story just yet either and are working on a epilogue. meanwhile, enjoy the longest chapter we have posted thus far!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was born after me and Madnessiseverything had a freak out over how precious Ezekiel Jones is. This is the first chapter of a collab we did and it's finally going up!
> 
> Madnessiseverything tumblr: [sliceofheavenofmine](https://sliceofheavenofmine.tumblr.com/)
> 
> RosyPages tumblr: [roseypages](https://roseypages.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Please remember to leave a comment and tell us what you think!


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